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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 3:02 pm
Lina blinked, confused. Then she shook her head and looked at him again. "Now listen--no, no look at me--who is this 'them' you're talking about? We don't understand what you're saying, sir. We want to try to help. But we need YOUR help to understand that. We want to stop the carnage and let peace back in once more. So please...."
Her tone was soft, but it was firm, as though a mother were talking to an extremely petulant and stubborn child.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 3:18 pm
I doubt apologizing for being Chinese would change anything. Though his voice was being kept low, he was trying to figure the best way to speak with this man. He was tense, set to flee. And though he wanted no harm to come to him, it was hard if he didn't wish to at least attempt to meet them halfway. But he only gave more questions than any sort of answers but he didn't feel any impatience. For something this important, it was worth it.
But it was good that he seemed to be speaking to Lina, if no one else. There was no way he could ask this man to trust him or the others. Especially not Herei himself, since he was very clearly Chinese. It made him fear for the others.. anything could have happened to those scientists since they had been away... and they were wasting precious time. But for now, he would allow Lina to speak. Though there was no way he was letting this man run away. Not just yet..
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 3:37 pm
"THEM. The natives," the man spat, anger flashing in his eyes. He rounded on Herei, feeling bold from the lack of response of the other people. "You don't know what you're going to do with me, then?" He looked back to Lina, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm not a child. I've run for my life, so if you people would kindly--"
"Watch your tongue, sir, if you want to keep it in your mouth." Lina had been doing a great job, but Alex had enough babying of the grown man. Either he was going to help them by his own will or he would help them with a knife in his back; she didn't care either way. "If you want to go back out there to die, be our guest. We're here to help, and we will solve this riddle with or without your aid." She didn't appreciate him talking so disgustedly about Herei or the other Chinese people here; if he started to insult the boys, he'd forfeit his ability to talk for good.
The man shot the dark skinned woman a nasty look to match her own, glaring. It did occur to him that everyone was speaking English, even if the kind woman was speaking Chinese before. Even the native man before him had been speaking English quite clearly. He took a deep breath, mindful of the Chinese man in front of him, the hot tempered woman behind him and the sweet lady next to him, asking a little more tiredly, "You want to help? You want to stop the madness?" He looked between Lina and Herei, eyes mistrusting. "What do you want me to do, then?"
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 3:55 pm
Lina relaxed. Thank God. Progress.
She had bristled at the "ma'am" comment--but Alex seemed to have calmed him down just a little bit. For that she was grateful. She gave the woman a nod before turning back to the man.
Then a thought occurred to her. He seemed...was he uncomfortable with their speaking English? Her face grew pensive.
So she stood, dusted off her knees, and offered a hand to the man, helping him up. "You're obviously tired and scared," Lina said, voice gentle but guardedly harder; she had lost the soft timbre that had defined her before. "Why don't you come back to the camp with me and you can rest a bit? Then...at least I'd like to know where you are running from. If there are others from wherever you came. If you can take us there--if there are survivors."
Anything, mister. Anything at all.
"Would you feel more comfortable if I spoke English or Chinese?" she asked. Most people seemed to have a preference. Anything to make him more forthcoming about what frightened him so.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:02 pm
Audun was sighing inwardly as the man next to him continued to speak as though he wanted to know something important, and once or twice he seriously thought about making a break for it and finding someplace full of nothing and no one. He was about to actually do it when the sound of raised voices caused him to stop in his tracks and turn towards the people from before.
'...Oh ho.'
There were more, oh so many more, all crowded around eachother like beetles on a carcass...with the strange new man in the middle as the food in question. Two women were having a go at him or so it seemed, one speaking kindly and getting shot back while the other simply let him have it and got what she wanted. Two unique personalities to be sure - how boring.
In reality and if he were back home Audun would have never turned his head towards the noise, he would have never raised in eyebrow in the slightest bit of interest at the proceedings; but he wasn't home in Norway, he was here in the middle of China with little to no idea of why he really way. He did think vaguely it had something to do with bodies and getting to try new things out, but that was the limit of his memory.
"There we go."
He snickered to himself as the super-sweet girl tried her flies-with-honey move again, and part of him wondered how well it would really work on someone in that strange man's position. This time he laughed a bit, loud enough that it escaped past his ears and into the air.
...Shoot.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:27 pm
Weiyuan peered up, that hard voice echoing. Ah...he knew that anger. Watching Alex move away from them confirmed it. Kenth was here. He smiled a bit, it was about time they really started.
He allowed the adults to talk to each other as he found one of the assistants handing out the 'antidote'. He handed it to RuiZhi and Rylenn before gulping down his own bite. He hissed at the burn it left on his tongue. Hated it then, hate it now.
He looked up at the rather large commotion and the group that was forming around it. He smirked to himself. "Looks like our first clue has just been obtained." He turned and stepped toward the formation. His stance immediately changed into something serious and almost cold.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:41 pm
Lina's head snapped up at the snicker.
"Might I ask you what's so funny?" she asked, walking straight up to him and fixing him with a gaze that would've melted iron. "This man has been through things you can't even imagine--things I and my peers have seen first-hand. Tell me, how does it feel watching your comrades die of a strange disease, helpless to aid them, knowing with dread that you might be next if you have the slightest cut on your arm?"
She pursed her lips. "This man needs rest, food and drink. And he is obviously scared. If you think you can do a better job with him, smartass, then go ahead and try while I go get some antidote." With a final derisive snort and a curt nod to Alex she started off at a brisk pace to the bucket of antidote that had been set up. She needed to cool off before she slapped someone again.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:44 pm
"Tsk. No wonder you and your group is still hiding." Kenth said from far behind the center of the crowd, more to himself than to others. He didn't want to approach the man directly, as Herei seemed to have the situation under control. However, it disguested him the way the man looked. His expression reminded him of that...oh, Dr. Jonas White. The confusion, the doubt...in a way he was glad that no one from the school had a cowardish expresison on their faces. Kenth wouldn't stant that. Fear was something to waste time with, and for a doctor who's striving to be the best, he certainly had no time for it.
He watched the few people in the center, hands still in his pockets. However, one of his hand held the badge of Shinkami. Surely the man would recognize it if one of the teachers showed it to them. Shinkami was directly under the supreme government after all. If by chance this man didn't...well, then perhaps advisor Fang would think of some brilliant idea to force the man to spill his secrets.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:47 pm
Greg had quieted at the idea of going to the lab. He hadn’t really said anything the way there, mainly because he hadn’t had anything to say at first, and then because of seeing Kenth.
‘My…’ He thought watching him talk to Alex. ‘Normally I’m the one that likes to make flashy entrances.’ He shrugged it off, however, and simply hid around in the background. He wasn’t quite ready to talk to his brother yet.
He smiled to himself and shook his head, not bothering to make a comment, although he noted the way that Kenth and Alex acted together. That was definitely worth asking about later. As everyone started to go their separate ways he wondered if he should go and talk to Dante or Lina. That was resoled pretty quickly when Alex found someone lurking about. Greg wasn’t really sure what he could do to help, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t wonder what was going on.
He had gone over, seen that he probably could do anything, then went to where Lina was.
“You feeling better now?”
-=+=-
Irame had been about to say something to RuiZhi, but as she had started to talk she had had her attention drawn to doctor Kenths rather… well noticeable entrance. She had been a bit surprised by it and hadn‘t thought to go up and talk to him. Fortunately Dante had taken care of most of what needed done and talked to the doctor.
She had also been surprised when Lina had run past her. That… That one had been a bit more of a surprise, and she almost didn’t trust herself on that one…
She had smiled over to RuiZhi, and excused herself, eventually saying, in the long winded way of the elves, that she was sorry and that she hoped that she could continue talking to him later. It was true, after all, and she was actually quite sorry and she would like to talk to the boy again. She started over to Kenth, who she had want to talk at least once, and she wanted to talk to Lina as well.
She didn’t get the chance, however, as Alex found someone just outside the camp. Irame went over to the man, making sure that she brushed past Lina as she did so, and looked him over.
“Are you okay, sir? Pyhsically I mean.” She asked, looking him over. “If you’re not I can try to heal you.”
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:55 pm
Lina didn't look too happy as she sipped the liquid.
"...no," she said, eyes distant. "That kid wasn't here before. He doesn't know...doesn't know the things that...." She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered.
"...you can't FORCE these people. You have to be gentle with them, you have to understand them. You have to have them completely relaxed...or they'll never fully trust you. They've seen too much."
She shook her head again. "...I never thought I would have to relive this," she muttered, and took another sip."
Dante noticed in the minute way that Irame brushed past. Ah...so now his sister knew, as well.
...He suspected she would want to talk, later.....
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 4:58 pm
Audun raised an eyebrow as 'little miss kind' came over and gave him a lungful of something, her expression a little bent out of shape and her words coming in at a blur of remark after remark. He thought about answering, he seriously did, but the part of him that didn't care for the people or didn't care for what he was in for won over and he merely smiled a thin lipped and heavy-lidded smile.
"Oh dear. Someone like me doesn't really care for things like that, and dying is a part of life be it from disease or at the hand of another."
His words were mostly spoken at Lina's back considering the young girl had stormed off without truely giving him a chance to justify his laugh. He'd been laughing more at her attempts of kindness then he had at the man's situation, but it was beyond his concern or worry if Lina had taken it the wrong way. People were quick to jump to conclusions, be the person alive or dead.
So as he watched her go and after he spoke he swept his eyes over the crowd once more, not in an effort to size anyone up or gauge the company - more to figure out if he could outrun anyone should he not keep his mouth shut enough and have to flee for his own wellbeing. Even if he didn't mind dying, Audun sure prefered not to do it today.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 5:14 pm
Greg nodded at first, saying nothing while she spoke. He knew that he shouldn’t really be drawing the parallel but his youngest brother had been unbelievably stubborn at times, and trying to force him to do anything was completely futile. He thought that it was a little bit ridicules but he could see a bit of a correlation.
“I don’t think that anyone ever expects that they’ll have to live through things like this twice.” He patted her shoulder. “But I’m sure that you’ll do fine. After all you’ve got guns, a brain, and a bunch of other people that seem to care about you.” He shrugged. “If that’s not enough to keep you alive then you’re probably in enough trouble that nothing was going to do it.”
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 5:23 pm
"...maybe I was wrong," she said softly, looking back a bit. "Maybe force is the only way to get things out of that man. Maybe that half-wit was right."
Sudden rage stole over here and she found that she was squeezing the cup a bit too tightly. "...I need to go cool off. Put this back for me? Kaythanks." With that she abruptly shoved the empty cup at him and stormed off.
Goddammit, Lina!
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 5:25 pm
RuiZhi nodded quietly as Irame excused herself, feeling very small and alone. His sister was busy man-handling some sorry excuse for a scientist and Weiyuan was watching, which is why he was lonely. He felt small because two of the most influential people in his little world had popped up at the same time; more than that, they knew each other, and seemed to respect each other. It was the first time he'd gotten a good look at Doctor Kenth, and judging by the way Alex interacted with him, his earlier thoughts were correct. He would, however, keep that much to himself. He'd been so surprised to see the cold and brilliant doctor, he didn't know what to do or say. He knew that Kenth's words weren't meant to be as scathing as they sounded, but he almost felt the desire to turn and flee at the man's urging. It was a shame he was too nailed to his position to approach the man he viewed on par with a celebrity.
If seeing Kenth didn't knock him for enough of a loop, Herei showed up. The exuberant and enigmatic Mr. Herei! RuiZhi was beside himself with joy and sorrow; joy that he could see (and hopefully meet) Doctor Kenth, joy of seeing Mr. Herei again, and sorrow that it took such a horrible event to make them all come together. The boy was silent through the rest of the proceedings, feeling very underwhelmed even though everything was moving so fast; all he could tell at this point in time was that if everyone didn't start working together, nothing would get done. The boy sighed inwardly, moving towards the campsite and brushing off a large rock to sit on. He'd spring into action when there was something more he could do than observe.
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